Evaluation of Spotlight and Scent-Station Surveys to Monitor Kit Fox Abundance

Spotlight and scent-station surveys have been used to monitor populations of the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), but reliability of these methods has been tested rarely. We evaluated effectiveness of these techniques to monitor long-term (8- to 13-yr) trends in a population...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wildlife Society bulletin 2001-10, Vol.29 (3), p.827-832
Main Authors: Warrick, Gregory D., Harris, Charles E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Carnivore Research and Management
Endangered & extinct species
Foxes
Odors
Population estimates
Population size
Seasons
Spotlights
Vulpes macrotis mutica
Wildlife biology
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife ecology
Wildlife management
Wildlife observation
Wildlife population estimation
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Spotlight and scent-station surveys have been used to monitor populations of the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), but reliability of these methods has been tested rarely. We evaluated effectiveness of these techniques to monitor long-term (8- to 13-yr) trends in a population of kit foxes over a $216\text{-}{\rm km}^{2}$ area. Counts of foxes during fall and winter spotlight surveys were correlated positively with population estimates of kit foxes (r≥0.59, P≤0.06). Fall scent-station indices and population estimates were correlated positively (r=0.65, P=0.08). However, spotlight and scent-station indices were imprecise and detected only large changes in population size. Further studies are needed to determine whether replicating surveys within seasons or increasing sampling intensity can provide more reliable indices of kit fox abundance.
ISSN:0091-7648
1938-5463